Manganya pushes for accountability on Malawi leaders

One of the country’s renowned comedians, Michael Usi, has urged Malawians to wake up and hold their leaders accountable to the issues of national development.

Speaking at a news conference at Malawi Sun Hotel in Blantyre, Usi who is also popularly known as Manganya said it is very unfortunate to note that the strategy for national development is only available and understandable to the elite.

“You know the citizens of Malawi have not been given an opportunity to partake the implementation of the country’s strategic plans that’s why we have projects which have been initiated from nowhere and end up nowhere,” he explained.

He said the citizens of the country who are the custodians of development are not consulted in the planning stage of project hence they don’t even participate in the implementation of such projects.

Micheal Usi during the news conference

“People don’t know not only its source and objective but also its coverage instead they are just passive in such activities because they don’t understand what are happening,” Usi said.

Usi warned that if the trend goes on unchecked, Malawi will never develop.

“If this syndrome goes on unchecked, Malawi should not dream of getting out of poverty. I therefore would like to ask you journalists and all Malawians to take a leading role in making sure that our leaders are accountable to what is happening in this country,” he suggested.

Usi also pointed out that it is also disheartening to see that when leaders come into office preach the word of economic recovery and getting Malawians out of poverty whereby in actual sense they are siphoning from the national cake.

He therefore said it is high time for Malawians as they are forging for the tripartite elections come 2014 to find the lasting medication to the disease.

Usi who is currently working as the Deputy Country Director for Adventist Relief Agency (ADRA Malawi)was quick to explain that he has no any intention of joining active politics saying he is just raising the concerns as a bonafide citizen of Malawi.

He also said every Malawian has a responsibility of raising awareness on issues of national interest.

“We are about more than 12 million people in Malawi; all of us cannot be presidents so we should depart from the thinking that one an only contribute to the national development by joining politics,” he said.